First published: 08/03/22.

Clyde 2.0

Caves Of Yagul And Mitla

Caves of Yagul and Mitla (Inscribed)

Caves of Yagul and Mitla by Clyde

I visited this WHS in December 2021. Getting there and back to Oaxaca is quite straightforward, unless there are some of the recurring demonstrations blocking off the roads to and from Oaxaca. There are a couple of pueblo magicos famous mostly for pottery on the way to Yagul.

Two main "panels" of the Yagul Caves are visible from the highway (just a few metres away from a huge stone sign welcoming you to the Yagul Archaeological Site which is about 500 meters further up a side street with mezcal fields in a lovely hilly landscape also declared as a national natural monument. These panels were most probably once cave walls above a cliff but the rest of these caves collapsed being made up of brittle sandstone and earthquakes being a frequent phenomenon here (felt a minor one when we visited!). Access to the cliff with these panels and other caves is blocked off by a rotten wooden gate which would be opened by a registered guide if you really want to head closer to the prehistoric caves (at your own risk since everything seems to be crumbling down!). There is also a raised platform to view the two panels but you would only be seeing what is already visible from the road from a little bit closer. Bring binoculars or a good zoom lens with you and you will still manage to get the gist of this rather poor WHS. Further left to the panel with a white stick figure, you might (depending on the sunlight) be able to spot another panel with what look like cattle and primitive crops like the ones found as deposits on the cave floors, which is supposed to be the basis of this WHS's OUV, namely the "birthplace" (recently retracted as earlier sites have been found elsewhere!) of the domestication of plants in North America by primitive farmers and hunter gatherings.

Strangely (or luckily), the Yagul Archaeological Site associated with the later Zapotec civilization is also included in this WHS. The juego de pelota court is in good unlike the yellow labyrinth of walls (with a few red linear stucco decorations left towards the heart of the labyrinth) which once was the Palace of Six Patios. There is a huge animal head statue near the sealed off entrance to some underground tombs. There's also a small structure with what looks like the Puuc style. The best place to appreciate the Yagul archaeological site, the caves and panels in the distance, and the surrounding natural scenery is surely from the El Fortaleza lookout point which is well worth the short climb.

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